I know what you're thinking after reading the title - bum bags are incredibly unfashionable, and should be left back in the 1990s where they belong. Summer is fast approaching, though, and a lot of us have booked holidays in other countries (and are now excitedly counting down the days until we fly away to foreign lands!), making sure that we have everything we need for the perfect vacation. I myself am destined for the sunshine state, Florida, in the next few months, and I'll be hitting the ground running with my family to dart around all of the fantastic theme parks. Among us, my father is the one who wears the all-important bum bag that holds precious items such as money and tickets, and after two decades of visiting places all over the world, his ever-reliable bum bag has sadly seen better days. I have offered to make a new one using fabrics and notions from here at Calico Laine, and in today's blog, I'll be walking you through how to make your own - and in case you aren't venturing off across the world this year, fear not! Bum bags are useful for all sorts of purposes, including dog walking, jogging, hiking and all sorts of other activities. You will need: - 0.5 metres of fabric (we recommend something strong like our Gabardine or PVC fabrics) - 0.5 metres of dress lining - A reel of thread (we recommend our Gutermann Sew-All Thread range) - 1.5 metres of 1" wide webbing (either to match your fabric or in a contrasting colour if you feel bold!) - 1 x Derilin 1" bar slider - 1 x Derilin 1" buckle - 1 x 10" closed end dress zip (the colour choice is yours) - A pack of dressmaking pins - Fabric scissors - A ruler or tape measure Step One Take your fabric and fold it into half, then do the same with your lining and lay it on top, lining up the folds in the fabrics with each other. Using your pins and your ruler or tape measure, mark a rectangle measuring about 12 inches/30 centimetres by 10 inches/25 centimetres. Cut your marked rectangle,and you should have four identical pieces. Step Two Take two pieces of the pieces you just cut and your zip. Lay one lining piece flat, then line the zip up with the long edge of the fabric. Take a piece of your outer fabric and line it up with the lining and the zip edges, then pin all three together. Sew along the edge, then repeat this step with the other side of the zip and the other two pieces of fabric. Top stitch along both sides of the zip for a neat finish. Step Three Unzip your zip completely - this is very important to do, otherwise you will not be able to complete your project! Lay out your project with both outer fabric sides together, and both lining sides together. Pin around the lining side on all three edges. Step Four Take your webbing and feed the two ends through the open zip. You will need to pin around the three edges of your outer fabric pieces, but make sure that your webbing is sandwiched between the raw edges just underneath the ends of the zip. Step Five Sew around all four edges of the total piece with a 1"/2.5cm seam allowance, and make sure to leave a 3" gap in the long edge of your lining pieces. Secure the ends of your webbing and your zip by running over them a few times with your sewing machine. Trim your seam allowances down to about 1/2" and clip your corners. Step Six Turn your project right side out, and stitch the opening in your lining closed (you can choose to do this by machine or by hand). Push the lining into the outer bag, and you have now completed the pouch of your bum bag. Step Seven Cut your webbing in the middle to make two straps instead of one complete loop, and trim them down if you need to. Separate your buckle into two halves, and attach one half to one end of your webbing. Take your slider and slide it onto the opposite piece of webbing, then take the second half of your buckle and loop It through. Attach the end of your webbing to the middle bar of the slider and stitch in place. Your bum bag is now finished! If you decide to attempt this project, be sure to leave a photo of your finished piece on our Facebook page - we love to see what our customers come up with!